She also felt isolated as a single parent, missing the social contact she would normally have, she was pleased when support bubbles were introduced and she was able to see her parents, however due to her mum shielding for health reasons, she was unable to get any of the informal childcare that she would normally rely on. While the swimming lessons are finally resuming, Andrea is unclear about what the future holds as disruptions continue and classes are limited to fewer children for social distancing - affecting her hours and income.
There is also the concern that, while demand for swimming lessons are currently high, the companies offering the swimming lessons have also experienced disruptions across the organisations to their gym, other exercise classes and to their office staff. There has been re-shuffling of job roles, reduction of hours and redundancies. Andrea is now exploring her options for wraparound childcare and after-school clubs. Sarah, single parent from Northern Moor, Manchester, who was made redundant from the aviation industry in the autumn of Sarah was forced to put her job-seeking on hold to home school her primary school aged child:.
The exact working patterns are still to work out. Methodology: The research project involved two strands. Between January and February , we undertook follow-up interviews with 33 of the original single parents who were both contactable and willing to take part. In addition, analysis was undertaken of the official Labour Force Survey LFS , to examine the work characteristics of this group of single parents and the short-term impacts of the Crisis on their working status, working lives and mental health.
This report was funded by the Standard Life Foundation and designed to document the journeys through the Covid Crisis of single parents who had to undertake working and caring, largely in isolation. How to resolve AdBlock issue? Refresh this page. W hen it comes to what to do about workplace burnout, much of the guidance in the popular press can be boiled down to superficial advice: go to a spa, take a nap, treat yourself. Burnout is often portrayed as an individual problem and self-care to reduce stress is the only antidote to manage it.
Yet workplace burnout is an organizational problem that requires systemic solutions, especially for one group in particular: single parents. The United States has the one of the highest rates of children living in single-parent households in the world, with nearly one in four children— about 22 million —living with a solo parent, whether that parent is divorced, separated or widowed; never married; or has an absent spouse. Companies have to acknowledge there are unique issues that single parents will run into.
When organizations presume all employees have a support system in place, they make demands on time that single parents especially can't meet. All of this takes a toll on emotional and physical well-being. And when it comes to burnout—feeling depleted, cynical and ineffective—research shows that organizations and work cultures, not individuals, are the root of the problem.
Systemic change is the only real solution. During the pandemic, many women and single mothers were forced out of the workforce or had to cut back hours. Companies must make an effort to rehire these people, as well as find a way to measure their work and chance for promotion without penalizing them for the care they had to provide during the pandemic.
For instance, most workplace norms are based on an outmoded "ideal worker" standard of someone who is always available. Workers with caregiving responsibilities particularly single parents are seen as lesser workers in need of "accommodation.
Use structured interviews with questions tied to job requirements to disrupt confirmation bias. If organizations use artificial intelligence to sort through resumes based on an always-available "ideal worker," those algorithms must be reprogrammed to account for childcare disruptions, particularly for single parents.
Language matters. Don't default to advertising events as for "couples" or urge people to "bring spouses. What's more, managers mustn't assume single parents don't want stretch assignments or travel once pandemic restrictions ease just because they're solo parents. Ask them directly. And consider providing compensation for single parents if they're expected to attend work events outside business hours, since that will require additional work organizing care on their part.
Asking about the opportunities single parents want in their role or career could lead to more honest conversations, said Marika Lindholm, founder of ESME, an online community for solo mothers, both about how organizations can better support single parents and how they can better acknowledge single parents' contributions and skills.
Make it a management practice to check in on single parents and make it OK for single parents to ask for help. Organizations must absolutely lean into supporting employee well-being, stress reduction and especially mental health, as the pandemic has taken a toll on everyone. But one of the most important things to address burnout?
Stephanie Lee, senior director at the Child Mind Institute. Prior to Covid, many companies were driven by always-on, always-available norms and rewarded long hours of face time in the office—norms that particularly disadvantaged single parents. But the pandemic has shattered those norms. Now, as companies prepare for a post-pandemic world, they can lead the way in redesigning work around mission and purpose—rather than where and when it's done—and give workers more control and autonomy in the time, manner and place of work.
That can apply not only to white collar workers managing remote, flexible or hybrid schedules, but also hourly and service workers by moving away from disruptive just-in-time and unpredictable algorithmic scheduling. Both would go a long way in easing single parent work-life strain and burnout. But the pandemic has forced everyone to be creative.
The catch was each kid got to tell me if his babysitter sibling deserved to be paid. Cheapest childcare ever! They thought it was fun, and I had time to get some extra work done. In-person and virtual networking are also critical for solo parents. The same is true for Facebook and other online support groups. The more varied the network, the more diverse information you have access to. Your community and network can also alleviate some of the stress of daily meals and errands.
A once-a-week potluck not only takes the burden off dinner that night, but also allows for connection and support. Despite all the obstacles, working parents without partners at home have figured out how to make the most out of their time, home and work life, and networks. You have 1 free article s left this month. You are reading your last free article for this month. Subscribe for unlimited access. Create an account to read 2 more. Managing yourself.
0コメント